Have you ever considered the gluten isn’t causing your tummy troubles? Maybe it’s FODMAPs?

An Australian study found 10.7% of people involved intentionally avoid eating wheat, despite only about 1 in 70 (~1.4%) Australians having coeliac disease (1). So why were the rest of this 10.7% avoiding wheat & wheat products? The study found a large amount of people actively avoid these foods because they experience an upset gut, the most common symptoms they experienced were gassy, bloating, cramping & fatigue (1)

Sound familiar?

Unless recommended for medical reasons, we really shouldn’t remove these foods from our diet (despite what we may read).

Why is this important?

Grains & cereals (where gluten & wheat are) is a good source of fibre (see below). That’s eating a lot of salad to make up the recommended 25g/day fibre compared to a meal with grains & cereals.

Generally, when people stop eating gluten or wheat, they take the ‘stop it, don’t swap it’ approach which increases the risk of nutrition deficiencies. These foods are important for B vitamins, iron (especially for females) and of course, fibre! (2).

Just because it’s labelled ‘gluten free’ doesn’t mean it’s healthier. It’s usually not. Think about bread, it tastes good because gluten makes it soft & fluffy, so food manufacturers have to use other ingredients (usually additives, fats & sugars) to make gluten free food taste better (if you’ve ever tasted gluten free bread, you’ll get it!)

Eating gluten damages the lining of your small intestine only in people with coeliac disease. This reduces ones ability to absorb nutrients putting you at risk of conditions such as iron deficiency & osteoporosis, which is why sticking to a strict gluten free diet for life is required so it can heal, absorb nutrients & live happily ever after.

However, with food intolerances, there’s no physical damage. Think of your digestive system as a muscle, you can’t walk into the gym & start lifting the heaviest weight, you’re going to feel the effects later, you need to start with a lighter weight & work your weigh up. It’s the same with food intolerances, you need to find what we call your ‘threshold’ how much of particular foods you can tolerate & train your gut to gradually build up your tolerance. This may take weeks, months or years to train your gut to be able to eat a standard amount of that food group.

There are different foods you can eat on a gluten free diet to a low FODMAP diet (see below the post on bread). Some foods which are labelled gluten free may also include other ingredients which may trigger a flare up.

What should you do?

Go to your doctor for an assessment & get a proper diagnosis, then ask (if they don’t already provide one) for a referral to a digestive dietitian or gastroenterologist to identify any food intolerances. This will open up doors with more foods you can comfortably eat. You don’t want to have to eat gluten free if you don’t need to.

Is your tummy troubles affecting your social life? If so, it might be time to get some help, click here to book an appointment.

References

1. Golley S, Corsini N, Topping D, Morell M, Mohr P. Motivations for avoiding wheat consumption in Australia: results from a population survey. Public Health Nutr. 2015 Feb;18(3):490-9. doi: 10.1017/S1368980014000652. Epub 2014 Apr 17. PMID: 24739252.

2. Thompson, T, Dennis, M, Higgins, LAet al. (2005) Gluten-free diet survey: are Americans with coeliac disease consuming recommended amounts of fibre, iron, calcium and grain foods? J Hum Nutr Diet 18, 163–169.